Nightmares
by imaginedragons4eva
Summary: When Sodapop wakes up to Ponyboy having an awful nightmare, worse than usual, how will Sodapop and Darry react? How will they cope with this situation? Rated T for language!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: As much as I wanna own the Outsiders, I don't. It all belongs to S.E. Hinton. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

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Sodapop woke once again to the sound of Ponyboy's screams. He quickly sat up and tried to wake his brother. "Pony," he whispered. Ponyboy continued to thrash around on the bed and wouldn't wake up. Soda tried again. "Ponyboy!" he yelled. Moments later, Darry entered the room. His usually neat hair was wild, sticking up every which way, and was wearing only a pair of sweats. He rushed to the side of the bed and shook Ponyboy.

"Ponyboy, please wake up," Darry pleaded. Ponyboy sat up straight in the bed, gasping for air. Ponyboy curled into a ball and was shivering something fierce. Sodapop looked at Darry, concern written all over his face. Ponyboy usually woke up from his nightmares right away, and never once has he curled up into a ball right after he was woken.

"Darry, is something wrong with Pony? Is he gonna be alright?" Sodapop asked. Darry glanced at Ponyboy once more. He ruffled Soda's hair and said, "I don't know, little buddy. I just don't know." They covered Ponyboy up with blankets and Soda laid down with him. He threw his arm around Ponyboy's shivering form and fell into a restless sleep.

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The next morning, Soda woke to find that Ponyboy was no longer in bed. Soda rubbed his face, trying the drive the sleepiness away. He slowly made his way to the kitchen to find Darry and Ponyboy sitting at the table, eating breakfast. He sat down at his place and began eating his breakfast, not tasting one bit of it. He still remembered the events of last night and it had left him scared.

What could have caused Ponyboy to curl up in a ball and not respond to his brothers? Was his nightmare that awful that he hadn't wanted to talk to anyone? He looked across the table at his baby brother (although he knew very well that Pony wasn't a baby anymore) and saw dark bags under his eyes. So he had stayed awake the remainder of the night.

The day went by fast and night slowly approached. At dinner that night, Soda couldn't stay still. Both his brothers noticed, but Pony didn't seem to think anything of it. Finally Darry couldn't stand it anymore and sent Pony to his room to finish his homework. He kept looking between Darry and Soda for a minute or so. Eventually he shrugged and made his way to his room. When Darry was sure that Pony wouldn't be able to hear their conversation, he addressed Soda.

"Okay Soda, spill." Soda gave Darry a look that said, _What are you talking about?_ Darry gave him an exasperated look and said, "Sodapop Patrick Curtis. Don't you give me that look. I know somethin' is botherin' ya. And I wanna know what the hell is botherin' you, so spill." Was he that obvious? He didn't think so. He looked up at Darry and sighed. Well there was no lying to Darry. Darry _always_ knew when someone was lying. Just like he could tell when Dallas was lying when he said he didn't know where Johnny and Pony where when they ran after Johnny wasted that Soc.

Soda felt a stab of pain in his heart. Johnny and Dally. Thinking of them brought tears to Soda's eyes. He quickly blinked them away but not fast enough. Darry caught sight of them and his hard, emotionless face softened. "Soda," he whispered, "what's wrong?" Tears spilled onto Soda's cheeks and he quickly wiped them away.

"I'm worried about Ponyboy, Darry. What happened last night has never happened. He's always woken up right after we shake him awake. And he's never curled up in a ball. He's always talked to us about his nightmares, but this time he didn't. Oh Darry. I'm worried about my baby brother." Darry came around the table and pulled Soda into a hug.

"I know, little buddy. But we gotta be strong for him. Don't worry, Pepsi-Cola. We'll figure something out," Darry said. Soda nodded. Soda headed to his room and changed. He lay down with Pony and put his arm around Ponyboy. He believed Darry. Darry always knew what to do and he was always right. As long as they had Darry, they would always be fine.

**A/N: So….how was it? You like? Hated it? Well, guess I'll have to wait and see. So this was originally gonna be a one-shot but as I finished writing this, I felt like it wasn't finished and I could write more to it. I already have a pretty good idea where this story is gonna go, but that depends on you guys. If you want me to add more to it, then I will. So my lovelies, what will it be? Should I add more to this story or was this really that shitty? If you guys want me to continue, I promise to make the chapters longer. Please drop a review and tell me what you thought about this story and if I should add more to it or just PM me. Til then…**

**STAY GOLD**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Outsiders, but still Sodapop and Ponyboy are mine! **

**A/N: Hello my lovelies! Welcome back:) as you've figured out, no doubt, this is chapter two of **_**Nightmares**_**. I'ma dedicate this chapter to **_**xoashleylynn**_**. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Now I'ma shut my trap and let you read the chapter. Enjoy!**

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Ponyboy woke to what he thought, was the world shaking. He quickly sat up and saw a very panicked Sodapop desperately trying to shake him awake. "Ponyboy!" Soda yelled. Ponyboy tried to get out of his grip and managed to do so before Soda could give him a major headache. "What's with all the yellin', huh? Some people _are_ trying to sleep, Soda." Ponyboy complained. Sodapop rolled his eyes.

"_Right_. Which is why you were thrashing around in your sleep again, innit? People totally can sleep while they have nightmares," Sodapop said, sarcastically. Ponyboy scratched his head, confused. Thrashing around? Nightmares? He didn't remember having a nightmare just seconds ago. In fact, he didn't remember anything. He knew that once in a while he would get nightmares and not remember them, but usually if he had a nightmare he would wake up before it got too bad and he'd tell Soda. Or the other way around.

"What are you talkin' about? I wasn't havin' no nightmare," Ponyboy claimed. Just then Darry burst in, running as fast as he could. "Is Ponyboy alright?" Darry asked. Then he saw that Pony was awake and rushed to his side. He proceeded to stroke Ponyboy's hair, but he pushed away Darry's hand, annoyed. "Okay, what the hell is going on? You guys have been treating me like a baby these past few days. And I've heard y'all mumbling something about me having terrible nightmares and what not. So which one of ya is gonna tell me what you're talking about, huh?"

Darry and Soda both exchanged a glance and Darry answered. "It can wait til tomorrow, Ponyboy. Just try to get some rest til then." He ruffled both Soda's and Pony's hair and left. Pony stared at the spot where Darry had been moments ago, in disbelief. _Til tomorrow,_he thought, _Darry is crazy if he thinks I can wait til then. _Ponyboy turned to Sodapop and asked him the same thing he had minutes ago. Soda's only response was a shrug, before laying down on the bed once more to sleep.

Ponyboy sighed in exasperation. Tomorrow was a hell of a long time away. For the rest of the night, he kept tossing and turning and didn't sleep at all.

When morning finally came, Pony practically jumped up from the bed and headed to the shower. While he was getting ready, Darry had called the doctor's office and set up an appointment for that day. Darry hung up just as Ponyboy came out of his room, dressed up and ready for school. Ponyboy eyed the phone suspiciously. "Who were you calling?" Darry opened his mouth to say something, but the phone rang just then. He quickly picked it up, thankful for the excuse of not having to lie to Pony.

Ponyboy watched as Darry nodded a couple times and hung up the phone. He walked over to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Sodapop, Steve called in sick. He said you'll have to cover his shift. Meaning you'll come home later than usual." Pony heard a string of curses leave Soda's mouth that even he was surprised to hear. Especially Darry. His eyes widened in shock and it quickly changed to anger.

"Watch your mouth, little buddy, or I'ma do somethin' about it and you won't like it one bit!" Darry threatened. Ponyboy gulped. Glory, was he glad it wasn't him that Darry had threatened. Soon all three Curtis brothers were crowded around the table, wolfing down their breakfast.

They all jumped when the screen door slammed and Two-Bit waltzed in. He had that ridiculous grin plastered on his face. "How are y'all this fine morning?" His words were slurred and he was swaying on his feet. He was obviously drunk. Sodapop buried his face in his hands and groaned real loud. "Damn it, Two-Bit! How're you supposed to walk Pony home from school as drunk as you are? They'll kick ya outta there faster than Dally got kicked out of the Daily Double when he messed around with all those broads he tried to pick up!"

Two-Bit found something in that statement very amusing and burst into laughter. When it was time to go, Ponyboy followed Darry out to the truck and got in. But before Darry got in, he pulled Soda aside and whispered something to him. The young greaser nodded his head and got into Two-Bit's truck. Ponyboy wondered how on earth Two-Bit had managed to find his way to their house, drunk. He also wondered how Two-Bit was gonna find his way from their house to the DX. Ponyboy gave up trying to find an answer. He knew he would never find the answer to those questions. When he got to school he got a dreadful feeling something was gonna happen and he wasn't gonna like it at all.

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Right in the middle of third period, the teacher got a call. He nodded and put down the phone. "Ponyboy Curtis, you're needed in the office," the teacher announced. Ponyboy flushed. Why did the teacher have to make him the center is attention? He hated being the center of attention. He could feel his classmates eyes on his back. As he gathered his stuff he mumbled, "Yell it a little louder. I don't think Vietnam heard you." Some of his classmates around him heard what he said and laughed. The teacher turned around and asked, "Is something funny?" The kids around Ponyboy shook their heads and continued their work.

Pony headed to the office and that dreadful feeling from earlier came back. His stomach was doing backflips and he was feeling dizzy. When he reached the office, he was surprised to find Darry sitting on a chair with his arms crossed, waiting for him. He spotted Ponyboy and lead him outside to the truck. As they drove wherever they were going, Ponyboy began to feel antsy. He took out a cigarette and lit it. He took a long drag from it and breathed out. He began to squirm in his seat and his mood was rubbing off on Darry. He too was squirming in his seat.

Pony couldn't stand it anymore. He just had to ask and so he did. "Darry, where are we going?" Darry glanced at him once, twice, thrice and he finally answered, "We're going with the doctor." Ponyboy was confused. He wasn't sick and neither was Darry, so why were they going with the doctor? Pony turned to Darry and said, "Darry, am I sick?"

Darry sighed. "I sure hope not buddy." Half an hour later, they arrived to their destination. They went inside and Ponyboy sat down while Darry signed in. Twenty minutes after that, they were called in. When they entered the room, the doc did the usual things. He weighed and measured Pony and checked his blood pressure, you know, the works. The doctor left the room for a few minutes, then came back and declared nothing was wrong with Ponyboy. "Darrell, would you step out with me for a moment?" Ponyboy could sense something was indeed wrong with him but the doctor didn't want to scare him. Pony would just have to wait to know the answer.

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Darry closed the door behind him and turned to the doctor. The doctor clasped his hands in front of him and said, "All our tests show there is nothing wrong with Ponyboy, but these nightmares that you described are not normal. Unfortunately, i cannot prescribe anything more than some sleeping pills to help him sleep, and I would advise he play some sort of sport and keep him preoccupied with homework and such." Darry couldn't believe what he was hearing.

He turned to the doctor and asked, " Are you saying that it's all in his head?" The doctor looked back and nodded. " Have a good day, Mr. Curtis." Darry stayed out there for a few minutes, staring at the wall. The doctor had just told him that his baby brother may very well be crazy or that something is wrong with his mind. Darry went back inside to get Ponyboy and he asked what was wrong. Darry shook his head. " Nothing is wrong." _At least I hope not, _Darry thought. And with that they went home.

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**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. If there were any weird mistakes in there please excuse them, my computer was being fucking retarded. Also, if any of the characters are OOC (which I'm sure they are) please excuse any OOCness. This is only my second fanfiction, guys. But I'll try and fix that as much as I can. Like always please read and review. They always keep me going til next time...**

**STAY GOLD**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Outsiders. That pleasure belongs to S.E. Hinton**

**A/N: I hope you guys enjoy this chapter:) and believe me, I'm trying to make these chapters long and trying to not make the characters OOC, now I'ma shut my mouth and let you guys read… Enjoy!**

_Ponyboy felt hands grab his shoulders and push him underwater. He looked up and saw Bob Sheldon above him, grinning and looking like a psycho. Ponyboy stuggled to get his head above water. His lungs ached and screamed for air. At the last second, when it seemed his lungs would give up, his head broke the surface and he sputtered and coughed. When he regained his breath, he looked up, only to see that Johnny Cade had taken Bob's place. Pony's breath hitched and was relieved to see his best friend. But when he looked into Johnny's eyes, he saw that they were black holes. Empty. Void of any emotions. Pony was confused. "Johnny, are you okay? What's wrong?" Johnny's hands shot out and grabbed Ponyboy by the shoulders and shook him. "It shoulda been you. I was supposed to live. Not you. You were supposed to die. Not me!" And with that, Johnny dunked Ponyboy back into the fountain. _Why are you doing this, Johnny? _ Ponyboy thought. Just when his lungs were about to burst, Ponyboy woke with a start. _

Ponyboy was panting and was sweating something fierce. He looked to the side to see if he had woken Sodapop and was relieved to see that he hadn't. He knew Soda needed sleep. He often stayed awake these days to make sure that he was alright. Ponyboy got up and made his way to the bathroom. He washed the sweat from his face and dried off. When he looked up into the mirror, he saw something that almost made him shit his pants. Johnny stared back at him, his eyes filled with cold hatred. Ponyboy jumped back and bumped into the wall. "It shoulda been you, Pony. I wanted to live. It shoulda been you."

Ponyboy blinked and saw that Johnny was gone. He stayed that way for what seemed like an eternity. He knew it was only a few minutes, but glory, did it feel longer than that. He walked back to his and Soda's room and laid back on the bed. He could feel the guilt pouring down on him again. He knew it was his fault that Johnny and Dallas were dead. If he hadn't stayed out there in the lot that night, this never woulda happened. He felt tears running down his cheeks. He tried containing the sobs, but failed to do so.

Soon, Sodapop woke to Ponyboy sobbing. Soda wrapped his arms around Ponyboy and asked him if he wanted to talk about it. A few minutes later, after Ponyboy had calmed down, he told Sodapop his dream and what he had seen in the bathroom. Sodapop stared off into space, thinking about what Darry had told him. Darry had told Sodapop that their baby brother might be crazy. Soda knew he would have to tell Darry about the incident in the bathroom, even if it proved their baby was crazy. They had to help Ponyboy and he would go to the ends of the earth if it would help cure his baby.

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The next morning, Sodapop went to find Darry. He entered his bedroom and shook him awake. Darry instantly shot up in bed and asked for Ponyboy. Sodapop laughed. "Calm down. He's alright...or as alright as one can be after last night." Darry waited for an answer. Soda sighed and explained what happened the night before. Darry got out of bed and rubbed his face. He sighed heavily and looked at Sodapop. Soda raised his hands and the look on his face said, _Don't look at me. I ain't got the answers._

Darry got dessed and went into the kitchen to make breakfast. A bit later, Ponyboy came outta the shower and they all sat down to have breakfast. There was an awkward silence and Ponyboy could see Darry glancing at him every twenty seconds. He sighed and put his fork down. "Okay, what is it Darry?" Darry looked up in surprise and waited a while before he answered.

"Ponyboy, is it true about last night?" Pony continued to eat and nodded his head. Darry sighed...again. He clapsed his hands together and gathered his courage to tell Ponyboy what he was about to tell him next.

"Ponyboy, uh, remember when we went with the doctor a few weeks ago?" Ponyboy nodded. Darry looked at Sodapop for help but found none. He looked back at Ponyboy and said, "Ponyboy, the doctor told me that there was nothing wrong with you except that...," Darry paused to make sure that Ponyboy was listening, "you might...kinda be going...craz- uh, crazy."

Boy howdy! That sure got his attention. Ponyboy jerked back, as though he had been slapped, and caused his chocolate milk to spill. His fork dropped, and his mouth followed suite. He looked between Sodapop and Darry in disbelief.

"Its been weeks and you didn't think that i deserved to know that I'm mental! Darry, why didn't you tell me?" He turned to Sodapop. "Did you know about my being mental too?" Soda hesitantly nodded his head. Ponyboy threw his hands up in the air in frustration. He pushed out his chair and stomped to his room.

Soda looked at Darry and said, "Well that went 'well'." Darry glared in his direction and got up. Just as he did so, Ponyboy came out of his room with his backpack and was dressed for school. He made his way to the front door and opened it. Darry saw and yelled, "Hey, where the hell do you think you're going, Ponyboy?" Pony turned and glared at Darry for a few seconds then without a word walked out the door.

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Ponyboy had no intention of going to school that day. He couldn't believe that Darry and Sodapop had kept the fact that he's crazy a secret for as long as they had. He had a right to know if he was mental or not. Although he was pretty sure that he was mental. No normal or sane person sees their best friend's reflection in the mirror. Pony walked to the cemetery and found Dally's and Johnny's graves.

Ponyboy talked to Dallas's grave for a while then moved in front of Johnny's. He set down his backpack and sighed. "I know you're angry with me kid. Its my fault that you're dead. Man I sure screwed up. It shoulda been me that died that night at the fountain. You were supposed to live. And you woulda Johnny but you just had to go and stab that soc kid." Pony felt something wet on his face and realized that he was crying. He got up off the ground and wiped away his tears.

He wished he could follow Dallas's advice. _ You better wise up, man. You get tough like me and nothing can touch you man. _Ponyboy didn't know exactly how to follow his advice. Dallas was already tough when they had met. Pony assumed that Dallas had toughened up in jail. Ponyboy didn't find the idea of going to jail very appealing. Pony decided that he would go find Two-Bit instead. He almost never went to school these days. On his way to Two-Bit's house, he heard the sound of an engine. He turned around and saw a yellow mustang following him.

"Shit," he mumbled under his breath. Four socs spilled out of the car and surrounded him. He recognized one of the socs from the night that Bob died. He was there when it happened, he had been one of the socs that had tried to drown him. Ponyboy got tired of them circling him and he said, "What the hell do you guys want?"

One of the socs snarled and said, "You're a friend of that greaser who killed Bob that night. We don't like people who are his friends. All you guys deserve to die, Bob didn't. And for that you're gonna pay." The soc reached back into his pocket and pulled out his switchblade. Pony looked down at the blade and gulped. This wasn't gonna end well.

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**Hey guys! So how was that cliffhanger? Good? Shitty? Hope u guys liked it. I'm not very good at cliffhangers, at least that's what i always tell myself. Anyhoo... i finally updated. I decided to put this chapter up today cuz tomorrow I'm going on vacation to Nevada to go watch BoyzIIMen! And i won't be back til Wednesday next week. Hopefully when i get back I'll have the next chapter up. So like always please read and review. Til then...**

**STAY GOLD**


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